In a significant setback for President-elect Donald Trump, the Royal & Ancient Golf Club (R&A) has confirmed that Turnberry will remain out of the Open Championship rotation for the foreseeable future.
The prestigious Ayrshire courses, purchased by Trump in 2014, have not hosted golf’s oldest major tournament for more than 15 years, mainly due to ongoing controversies surrounding the former president.
As Trump prepares for his planned return to the White House, Turnberry’s management team hoped the golf course could once again host the Open. However, R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers dashed those aspirations, declaring that the championship would not return to Turnberry until the surrounding “media noise” had ceased.
Learn more:
Speaking to The Golf Channel, Slumbers said: “We are currently in a position with regard to Turnberry where we will not be hosting any events there until we are satisfied that the entire dialogue is about golf. For the moment, this situation does not suit us, but it could change in the years to come.
Highlighting the R&A’s commitment to preserving the integrity of the championship, Slumbers continued: “When you look at major championships, we want the focus to be solely on the golf course and the players competing. It is crucial that media coverage remains focused on the golf championship itself, the oldest and original, to maintain the strength of our events.